Tao
Etymology
From Chinese “dào” (道), meaning “way,” “path,” or “road,” also rendered “Dao.” In Taoism it names the nameless source and pattern of all things, which the classic text opens by warning cannot truly be spoken. The plain sense of “a road one walks” underlies the philosophical sense of a way of being in harmony with reality.
noun · /DOW/
In Chinese thought, the ineffable underlying way or order of the universe.
What it names
A first principle grasped by alignment rather than definition — the source one flows with instead of masters.
Example
His whole management style was a kind of tao — he steered by not forcing things, and somehow the project moved.
Related idea
Indian dharma also fuses cosmic order with right conduct, but leans toward prescribed duty; the tao leans toward effortless alignment (“wu wei”) with a flow you don’t command.